The Bird on the Wire is the last kite John
Freeman adapted for Fort Worden. This kite measures 8 feet wide by 8 feet
tall and is a very steady flier in all but the lightest of winds. You will
walk away with a good kite with fairly unique framing. John designed it with
easy assembly and disassembly in mind. This is your opportunity to build
John’s last kite with the teaching duo of two returning teachers, Rod and
Carveth. A Bird on the Wire will be a welcome addition to your kite bag!!

Learn how to appliqué using
Deb's unique hot cut technique and make an eight-sided star kite that looks
like stained glass. You will have several choices for your appliqué plus
two sizes to choose from.

Are you lacking enough
tails in your kite bag or a good variety of types? More than just adding
interest and movement in the sky, tails can provide an important function
for kites. Come spend time with Georgean to master fuzzy tails, transition
tails, shear tails, and the all important drogue.

From coast to coast this duo is sure to give you
wonderful time and an excellent painted ripstop nylon kite. Susan, a
professional artist, starts out with you. You will learn her ripstop nylon
painting technique and paint a kite skin. Yes, anyone will be successful!!
This is Susan's first time at Ft. Worden but she is a seasoned instructor at
kite building workshops. Her goal is for you to have a successful
experience: learn that the "non-artist you" really is artistic. As you
paint your kite skin, learn color theory and composition. Susan will help
you to paint on colored ripstop as well as white, enabling you to appliqué
a lot of punch, power, and appeal into your skin. In a separate class, Mark will take over and you will
complete a Japanese Suruga-style kite using your painted skin. The kite is
about 4 feet tall and Mark has engineered it to be a stable flier.

Our president is going to be wearing a teaching
hat this coming 2012 and share his box kite, the "Hexy". Sam, known and
loved by us all, is one of our new instructors but is certainly a kite
master and not new to teaching. The "Hexy" will be a two color kite made up
of nine hexagonal cells. The kite flies well in a very wide wind range
and utilizes some interesting construction techniques, modified from the
work of Tom McAllister. Color options, construction options, assembly
options. Stay tuned for more information for Sam's "Hexy".

Dan makes a welcome return to us this year as the
second international teacher on our list. Dan is our "resident" Japanese
kite expert and a train and miniature master. This year he is offering a
plastic ghost train. You will make ten 12" x 23" kites from colored plastic
material and build them into a train. This is a non-sewing class
offering.

Linda is another experienced but first time
instructor for Ft. Worden. Join her for a day to make a 13-foot "Fanban"
banner using a “French” type seam and her special method of sleeving
banners. This tapered sleeve reduces stress on banner poles, and the
reinforcement at the top reduces/eliminates the dreaded “poke through”
problem.
Linda has broken down the FanBan into very easy steps. Whether your first
banner or one of a group, the FanBan will be an attractive banner to
display.

Returning to us from the UK are Paul and Helene,
the third on our international teacher list. Remember the exquisite Basque
kite they brought in 2008? The 3do is just as exciting and one not to miss.
Each participant will end up with an individually designed single line kite
over 5 feet tall. Design your own or let Paul and Helene assist you, use the
supplied kits to applique your masterpiece. The 3do kite flies at a good
angle in a wide range of winds and looks stunning in the sky. Be sure to
look at their 3do gallery (link above) to see more examples.

For every beginning kitebuilder is Gerry's four
hour class. This is the ideal starting point for all beginner kitebuilders
and sewers. If you are new to kitebuilding and kite sewing, you will learn
invaluable hints and tricks and basic must-know information plus
come away with the fabulous flying Gregor Hip Pocket Hybrid sled kite. Here
is your chance to get kite building and sewing knowledge you don’t want to
be without. Let Gerry's class be your foundation for the rest of your class
choices. Note to non-novice kite builders: if you need a fill-in class
where you will learn a lot or just want a Hip Pocket Hybrid sled in your
back pocket, you are welcome to join Gerry's class.

Kite builders' Roundtable, take 2Rob PrattLacey,
Washington

Rob will be heading and leading another
roundtable in 2012 due to popular demand. This year, bring your questions,
suggestions, samples and tools for making pockets and sleeves. What works
for you, what doesn't. The second topic is bridles. Help demystify this
essential part of a kite. Or learn what the kite experts have learned. We
have a lot of experienced kite makers and fliers coming to Ft. Worden. This
is a great opportunity to pick their brains and learn tricks of the trade.
The roundtable is for both sharing and absorbing! Lead by Rob and his kite
knowledge and meeting skills, it is a forum for all to attend, share, and
learn.

The fourth on our international guest list is
returning teacher Holm Struck. Hardly more needs to be said! Join Holm for
your choice of 2 classes. In the Tangram class, he will amaze you with the number of different
kite combinations that can be made from the same six shapes. Leftovers from
the Tangram will give you a "Zeddy" kite. His other class will be excellent for beginners, a
small four hour box kite. Join Holm for an great time and great classes.